September 26, 2009

From the time I was little I was taught that "America is the freeist country in the world." It may have been true then, but simply repeating what our parents told us and expecting it to be true is the height of ignorance. America will only be free if WE the PEOPLE keep her free.

Just check out these multiple lists, assembled by completely unrelated sources, all categorizing countries according to their varying levels of freedom. Notice that while none of them agree on the exact order of things, NONE of them have the United States at the top.

Of course, how the United States ranks compared to other countries is not the correct measure. What is more important is the actual amount of freedom experienced by her people. But these lists illustrate an important point that we have slipped a long ways and are likely to continue slipping if we don't awake from our complacent slumber.

September 24, 2009

September 22, 2009

I am often asked for a recommended reading list. Included here is just such an animal co-author Orrin Woodward and I assembled in the back of our latest book, Leadership and Liberty: Pieces of the Puzzle. Enjoy.

Attitude and Success

See You at the Top,
Zig Zigglar

The Greatest Salesman
in the World, Og Mandino

Wooden: A Lifetime of
Observations On and Off the Court, John Wooden

The Psychology of
Winning, Dennis Waitley

Life is Tremendous,
Charlie "Tremendous" Jones

People Skills and
Principles

How to Have Power and
Confidence in Dealing With People, Les Giblin

How to Win Friends and
Influence People, Dale Carnegie

Personality Plus, Florence Littauer

Bringing Out the Best
in People, Alan Lloyd McGinnis

The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective People, Stephen Covey

Leadership

It's Your Ship,
Captain D. Michael Abrashoff

The Cycle of
Leadership, Noel Tichy

The World's Most
Powerful Leadership Principle, James C. Hunter

The 21 Irrefutable
Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell

Launching a Leadership
Revolution, Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward (it's a summary of so much of
our learning!)

Historical Leadership
Illustrations

The Founding Fathers
on Leadership, Don T. Phillips

Scuttle Your Ships
Before Advancing, Richard Luecke

Churchill on
Leadership, Steven Hayward

Character Counts,
Os Guiness

The American
Leadership Tradition, Marvin Olasky

The History of Liberty

The Future of Freedom,
Fareed Zakaria

The 5000 Year Leap:
The Miracle That Changed the World, W. Cleon Skousen

September 21, 2009

In my recent travels I have had the pleasure of associating with many, many winners who are on the path to achievement and excellence. I just wanted to give a hearty salute to all of you out there who are working at becoming the best you can be, giving your all to some great endeavor, holding the flag of integrity high, standing for what you believe in, and maximizing your potential. You are amazing. Your efforts count, and you can and will make a difference. Keep at it and never grow weary in well doing!

September 18, 2009

There are a few more air travel observations I would like to add to my post of a few days ago. Although that article was quite extensive, it failed to include the following categories of passengers:

1. those who haven't stopped to consider that the seat-back table is actually connected to a seat. Because of this massive oversight on their part, slamming, shoving, jiggling, and flopping of the tray seems insignificant to them.

2. those who can't get up out of their seat without wrenching backwards on the seat in front of them. It's as if they see a sign on the back of the seat in front of them that says, "Grab with all your might and pull backwards firmly. Also, don't bother using your legs to stand up when you can simply pull on this guy's seat instead."

3. those who can't set themselves down into a seat but must flop down instead, dropping all their weight into the poor, unsuspecting seat with a violent crash.

4. arm rest hoggers

5. those who sit spread eagle

6. those who play their IPODs so loud you can hear the percussion twelve rows away

7. those who forget that when they are talking on their cell phone the WHOLE PLANE CAN HEAR THEIR EVERY WORD

These are just a few of the interesting species that can be found aboard commercial airliners. Do you have any to add to the list? I'm sure you do.